Australian country music is older than you think, but some things haven’t changed. From its origins in the folk songs sung from the 1780s to the 1920s, around themes of Australian folklore,
(think bush ranging, loneliness and isolation, endurance, drought, floods, droving and shearing) many themes endure today.

Rising Talent, in it’s infancy, has managed to discover eight country artists who epitomise the Aussie spirit and their stories have inspired us all.

Tracey Rains is no stranger to the world of country music. Performing at festivals, recording in studios and winning awards from her home state of South Australia, to Victoria and New South Wales, this highly acclaimed singer, songwriter hasn’t performed since she lost her (little) brother, Nathaniel O’Brien last year. A rising talent himself, Tracey recalls the moment when they were told he was gone, it was November 8.

“We had just finished singing together at the Burra country music festival, he had another gig he had to travel to so we said our “love you’s” and “see you tonight, have a great gig”……… eight minutes later down the Barrier highway his car hit a tree, he was 19. The news was broken to us all (Mum, Dad and myself) by the police at the festival in front of around 250 people.”

When Tracey saw the competition prize was a trip to Nashville, she had to be apart of it. “My brother and I had dreams of going to Nashville , in fact we were hoping we could in 2017 when he
would have been 21.” Tracey joins seven other finalists in Brisbane, who each have their own story and dreams of making it to Nashville.

Leisa Bye is from Brisbane and has perfected the art of yodelling and is an enthusiastic advocate of Rural Aid’s work, due to her own family experience on the land.

Ali Sacipovic is a Country Music Singer from Boulia, a small country town 400km north of Winton and 300km south west of Mount Isa, Qld. His traditional style has been cultivated through his rural experiences in isolated locations.

Phoebe Jay is an inspiring young lady, whose passion for our farmers created a song, 14 Cents at the gate, tells the story of our dairy farmers financial hardship. Born in Townsville the 14 year old now calls Bundaberg home.

Lilana Crane (Lili to her friends) has been playing guitar since she was nine years old. Now at fifteen, Lili hopes Rising Talent, is her opportunity to “make it big in the music industry” and fulfil her dream of going to Nashville.

Finnian Johnson experienced his first public performance when busking last year before he moved on to paid gigs in hospitality venues around the Hunter Valley. He hopes to make music a career.

Scott Douglas arrived in Australia from America with his own country music flare. For eight years he’s lived on the Gold Coast, performing on the festival circuit and playing with bands. Acclaimed as “one of 2016’s most promising up and coming male country artists”, Rising Talent could be the break he’s looking for.

Qld based charity Rural Aid was created to make a difference to our farming families last year, following the success of Buy a Bale, the charity changing lives donating hay. Charles Alder could never have imagined in just three years, how rewarding supporting rural communities would be. To date 3.5 million has been raised and volunteers help with everything from trade work to hay
bale delivery. But it’s stories like that of farmer Kent Morris from Mitchell, Qld that have motivated him. “While Buy a Bale has successfully become a household name, there are much greater issues in rural Australia than just feed for animals. Mental health, education, services, access to internet and many others. Rural Aid’s focus is on the bush and it dovetails with our overall ambition to develop and support the bush.”

Now he says it’s time to reveal the raw talent of rural youth. “We looked at how many music comps there were for country music artists in Brisbane and found none. So as a way of raising awareness and providing an opportunity, we thought, why not create a platform to discover raw talent. It compliments the theme of the Brisbane race day fundraiser for Buy a Bale on Sept 10.”
The event will become an annual one, bringing the outback to the city, connecting the land and it’s people to those who rely on the food they produce, through music.
A number of Country Music stars have also signed on including, Tanya Kernaghan, Mark and Jay O’Shea, and of course Brad Butcher. The flights to Nashville have been generously donated thanks to Brisbane Racing Club and accomodation from Courtyard by Marriott.

Media are invited to attend the Rising Talent final to be held at Doomben Race Track on Saturday September 10 from 1130.

Complete profiles, including video is accessible by clicking on this link.

MEDIA CONTACTS – Kim Kleidon, Communications Consultant 0417 882 091
Charles Alder CEO Buy a Bale/Rural Aid – 0410 714 379

There has been a lot going on behind the scenes to get everything ready so Charles can head off to Proston with our tradies and volunteers, and we are almost there.

For this trip we have 12 volunteers signed up, with jobs spanning four different farms. Our volunteers are going to have their work cut out for them this week because the jobs are huge! There is a fencing job which will be enough to keep a few workers occupied for a few weeks. There is also whole house which needs sanding and repainting.

It’s going to be a marathon effort to get as much done as we can as there are other jobs too! There are also things like fixing cars and sheds, painting, gardening, and guttering to complete. These Farm Rescue trips can be vital for rural communities where there is a serious skill shortage. Tradies either can not be found, or are more expensive than our farmers can afford.

The trips also provide a unique opportunity to our volunteers to experience something entirely new. There is nothing quite like putting in a week of hard work on a farm. Our volunteers this time range from highly skilled, to not having any particular skills but being very passionate about getting in and helping out.

Proston is located 280km North-West of Brisbane, so it’s a fair hike for a lot of our generous volunteers. One person is driving all the way up from NSW. It’s a 10 – 15 hour drive for him, but he is ready to help our farmers.

“Hopefully all our volunteers have a great time, and want to come back again,” said Nibedita Roy, Rural Aid’s Volunteer Coordinator. It seems that with 23 people signed up for the Miles trip in July, and nearly the same number for Mitchell in August that the word is getting around. A Farm Rescue trip is a wonderful experience for a volunteer, and very necessary for our farmers.

If you want to get involved, you can sign up here.

Working in conjunction with the Rob Scott from Nova Skill, Rural Aid have secured 24 full time workers for Tango Trees!

Tango Trees are a local plant wholesaler, who specialise in mature trees and native grasses. Earlier in the year they were affected by the remnants of ex-tropical cyclone Debbie, and have been struggling to get back on their feet ever since.

Being in the business of assisting primary producers with flood recovery, Rural Aid naturally wanted to help. Our Personnel Co-ordinator, Nibedita Roy, was able to negotiate a partnership with Nova Skill which will help our local producers.

The 24 workers will be undertaking a Certificate 1 in Conservation and Land Management over course of their six month traineeship. The finding for this program is provided by the Queensland State Government.

If you are interested in assisting a farmer like Ed Brain from Tango Trees, we have a number of other opportunities available.

The Farm Army program allows volunteers to connect with farmers in need of assistance at times that work for you, and you can go for as short or as long trip as you like. Head to www.farmarmy.com.au to find out more.

Weekend Warriors is a program available for corporate employees who want to use their paid volunteering day on something out of the ordinary. We give the opportunity to get away from the big smoke for a weekend, and make a difference.

This initiative will go a long way in assisting Tango Trees with their flood recovery efforts.

Over the last 3 days Charles and Tracy have been attending the CRT FarmFest 2017.

FarmFest is Queensland’s premier agricultural field day, and the opportunity to get amongst it and meet so many farmers and primary producers in one place is invaluable.

Rural Aid shared a stand with WFI Insurance, Ag Force, St Johns Ambulance and IOR Petroleum. Rural Aid Miles Area-Coordinator, Gail Courte, also made an appearance at the stand, keeping Charles and Tracy company over the week.

“Farm Fest was a great three day festival, and I would like to say a big thank you to AgForce for hosting us in their tent,” said Rural Aid Manager Tracy Alder.

The festival is a must do for rural and farming families, as over 2,500 companies attend the show with products vital to the smooth running of a farm. There are demonstrations, and entertainment, and always something to learn.